


a gift for you

by vaahtokarkki



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, Kissing, M/M, i mean it. a lot of kissing, rated T for rei's chapter, they're all dating each other but the first four chapters focus on wataru with each of the others
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-11
Updated: 2018-02-21
Packaged: 2019-03-16 17:47:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13641330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vaahtokarkki/pseuds/vaahtokarkki
Summary: On Valentine's Day, Wataru seeks out four people to give them gifts.A week later, they repay the favour.(One chapter per day until Valentine's, last chapter on Wataru's birthday.)1: Natsume2: Kanata3: Shu4: Rei5: Wataru/all





	1. Natsume

**Author's Note:**

> Heya!! This is my Valentine's project, a polyam oddballs fic with a focus on Wataru. The first four chapters all happen on Valentine's Day, and then the fifth one on Wataru's birthday. Not much else to say here, hope you enjoy! We're starting with Natsume!

Natsume hasn’t been to his classes during the whole week leading up to Valentine’s Day, but he has still come to school, and Wataru knows well where to find him. He slips away from his own classes, which he attended a total of one to check for Rei and Kanata, and looks for the secret room.

Not that it’s hard to find – by now, he could find his way blindfolded, with how much time he’s spent there this week. A great deal of people have been looking for Natsume, who has strictly kept to the secret room – some have even dared to ask Wataru if he knows where to find him.

A few lies to keep them from disturbing Natsume don’t make Wataru feel bad at all.

”It’s me”, Wataru announces before stepping in – normally, he’d make a surprise appearance, but Natsume has been on edge lately.

”NiiSAN”, Natsume’s eyes light up. He looks tired – has he been getting enough sleep?

Not that Wataru is any better, having spent two weeks experimenting with chocolate late into the night to make sure everything would be perfect today.

Natsume is sitting on the floor, and Wataru sits down in front of him, crossing his legs.

”It’s ValentiNE’S”, Natsume sighs. ”Tomorrow I can hopefully return above grouND.”

”Out of curiosity – _could_ you make a working love potion?”

Natsume frowns, his mouth drawing into a thin line. Love potions are exactly what people have been bugging him for ever since someone raised the mere possibility.

”I couLD”, Natsume says after a silence. ”But it would only fool the consumer into _believing_ they were in loVE. Love itself is much more complicaTED.”

He goes back to whatever mixture he’s making, and Wataru chuckles at the thought of being lectured on _love_ by someone else.

Natsume raises his gaze once more, his eyes flashing something more dangerous.

”Not to mentiON, it would be morally dubious and just plain wrong to DO, so I would refuSE.”

”You practise dark magic but draw the line at love potions? Oh, I love you”, Wataru leans closer with a grin, but Natsume pushes his face away, cheeks darkening into an adorable blush.

”Careful of my experimeNT”, he mutters.

”Oh, you wound me”, Wataru pouts. ”Will you at least accept a gift?”

”A… a giFT?” Natsume blinks.

”You said it yourself, it’s Valentine’s! I took it upon myself to prepare something for each of you”, Wataru declares proudly.

”Ah… that’s why you’re heRE”, Natsume’s voice is in a whisper. ”Well… you know I wouldn’t refuse anything from YOU.”

”I need your hand, then”, Wataru reaches out with his.

”Is this going to be a magic triCK?” Natsume doesn’t hesitate giving his hand. Wataru trails his fingers on Natsume’s palm, then flips his hand around so he can press a kiss to the back of it. Before Natsume has time to get embarrassed, Wataru closes his palm around the stem of a red rose.

”RosES?” Natsume laughs softly.

”Not just roses!” Wataru promises. ”Grown for you four alone.”

”Oh, that’s charmiNG”, Natsume brings it to his nose. ”Mm… truly, there is something special about this oNE.”

”And roses suit you well”, Wataru tilts his head. ”Perhaps when summer arrives, I shall make us all flower crowns… hmm…”

”Lay down on the grass and enjoy the summer breeZE?” Natsume quirks a brow, and Wataru nods.

”Yes! Exactly that! Just the five of us and a fine summer day… Oh, isn’t that grand?” he sighs, lost in thought. ”Well! I almost forgot, but there’s another gift. Here you go!”

Natsume lays the rose down to take the red paper bag Wataru offers him.

”Hm”, Natsume mutters after opening it and peeking in.

”I know, I know!” Wataru interrupts before he can say any more. ”You’re not too fond of sweets. But don’t worry! It’s not just any chocolate, but comes with a twist~☆”

“Of course I’ll at least _try_ anything you maDE”, Natsume reaches inside the bag, but Wataru gets another idea. A brilliant one, really.

“Ah, wait, Natsume-kun – won’t you let me feed you?”

“W-whAT?” Natsume flushes red in an instant, his eyes wide and alarmed.

“Come, now, what would be more romantic?”

“N-no, I refuSE”, Natsume shakes his head. “That’s embarrassiNG.”

“Nnn~ but there’s no one to see, here...” Wataru sighs.

“StiLL”, Natsume mutters, quickly sticking his hand inside the bag. The chocolates are shaped like lightning bolts, and a smile tugs at Natsume’s mouth when he holds one in his hand.

Natsume closes his eyes before eating the first one, but opens them as soon as it’s in his mouth. Wataru leans closer. He wants to know what Natsume thinks – after all, he put great care into preparing suitable chocolates for each of them.

While Natsume still chews and swallows, Wataru discreetly moves his vials out of the way, so they can’t be used as a cover for embarrassment anymore. Natsume glances down, but doesn’t mention it.

“Mm~ chiLI?” Natsume mutters. “That’s interestiNG.”

“Good interesting?”

“Of courSE”, Natsume laughs before leaning forward to give Wataru the kiss he was hoping for all this time. “It’s delicioUS. What kind of magic did you uSE?”

“Why, Natsume-kun”, Wataru’s grin must be so wide it just might get stuck on his face, “the magic of _love,_ of course.”  
Natsume chortles at his words, and covers his mouth immediately after.

“You are shameleSS”, he complains, but reaches out for Wataru’s hand, which he gladly gives.

“Oh, I know”, Wataru’s gaze travels down to their intertwined fingers. He feels warm, and he loves that feeling. “You know, I do like the privacy this space offers, with no prying eyes or whispers, but I dearly hope you’ll join me for tea out in the open once Valentine’s is over.”

“Make the preparations, and I’ll be theRE”, Natsume promises, leaning closer again.

“You are a darling”, Wataru goes for a hug instead of a kiss, grabbing Natsume and rolling them over so that they land on the floor with Natsume safely on top.

“N-niiSAN!” Natsume exclaims, but Wataru laughs heartily, holding him tighter. Natsume yields with a grumble, burying his face against Wataru’s chest.

They fall silent, and Wataru brings a hand to pet at Natsume’s hair, eliciting a content sigh from the smaller boy.

The floor is not comfortable, but Wataru wishes they could stay like this forever, hidden away, with no one to see them and tear them apart.

“I am a lucky boy”, he whispers, heart aching at how badly he wants to dress this feeling into words.

“I am luckiER”, Natsume claims, lifting his head enough to see Wataru’s face.

“To have so much love from so many wonderful people, I never imagined I could deserve this”, Wataru continues, memorising the way Natsume looks right now, eyes full of wonder and care and adoration as they gaze upon him.

“Ah, well!” Wataru raises his volume as soon as he recognises a stinging in his throat, to stop himself before that stinging turns into salt in his eyes. “It doesn’t do good to dwell on such serious things, on a day dedicated to love!”

Natsume plops down again, bringing his hands to lay against Wataru’s chest. He mumbles something, then, the words just obscured enough that Wataru doesn’t catch them, but he can guess there were three from the way Natsume’s face is burning when he glances up again.

“That feeling is mutual”, Wataru grins, and Natsume looks even more embarrassed. Oh, he’s an absolute delight, and Wataru feels even luckier that he’s allowed to share his days with such a wonderful partner.

“Was I the firST?” Natsume asks after a while, his voice quiet.

“Indeed”, Wataru says curtly.

“Then I assume you have to leave soON”, he’s a sharp boy, catching on to Wataru’s earlier words about having something for each of them.

“I wish I didn’t have to, but it would be wrong to spend today with just one of you!” Wataru sighs.

“Of courSE”, Natsume nods, slowly untangling himself from Wataru to stand up.

“I’ll be in contact – after Chocolat Festival is over, we should have a proper date. Should I ask Rei to join? He’s been so busy, he might want to unwind a little… or maybe he just wants to sleep…”

“We can look at thAT”, Natsume nods.

Wataru gathers himself, picks up his bag, and smooths out his hair. Natsume steps closer and tiptoes, and Wataru gladly tilts down to give him a kiss.

“Ah… give Kanata-niisan a kiss for ME. I haven’t seen him in a whiLE, as he doesn’t enjoy spending time in this spaCE.”

“I will”, Wataru takes Natsume’s hand to kiss it once more, and then, regretfully, he has to let go.

Natsume seats himself, and when Wataru glances behind before leaving the room, he sees Natsume reaching for another piece of chocolate.

He leaves with a smile.


	2. Kanata

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's Kanata's chapter! Hope you like it!!

Wataru knows Kanata didn’t attend classes today, but hopes he still came to school. Calling him would be pointless since his phone might be out of order again, but knowing Kanata, there are only about three places he might be at.

Currently, two – in warmer weathers, he might drift to the gardens for a nap, but in the middle of winter, it’s far too cold for that.

A quick survey of the schoolyard reveals the fountain is empty, though Wataru wasn’t counting on it because the surface is also frozen.

(Still, you never know. It probably wouldn’t be a romantic way to spend Valentine’s Day by treating a cold.)

So Wataru waltzes towards the marine bio club room, certain he’ll find him there – and true enough, the door is unlocked, and inside, Kanata sits watching the fish tanks.

As usual, Wataru’s breath gets caught in his throat. Under the strange lights of the aquariums, Kanata’s ethereal beauty is in full bloom, the blue glow on his hair and face making him look like a siren, ready to devour Wataru’s heart whole.

Kanata didn’t notice him entering, so Wataru shuts the door and walks closer with silent steps. He sneaks up from behind, placing his hands on Kanata’s eyes and drawing a yelp from him.

“Guess who”, Wataru mimics Rei’s voice with perfection, but Kanata doesn’t reply immediately.

“...Rei has ‘cold’ hands”, he speaks after a silence, “and Wataru likes to ‘play around’.”

Wataru laughs, pulls off his hands, and hops over the couch to seat himself next to Kanata.

“And”, Kanata takes Wataru’s right hand, “Wataru has the warmest ‘hands’.”

“Brilliant”, Wataru grins, squeezing back at Kanata’s hand, cooler than his. “I’m glad you came to school today.”

“Of course”, a look of confusion crosses Kanata’s face, “today is ‘special’, is it not?”

“Oh!” Wataru gasps with delight. “You remembered!”

“Yes, you have to ‘spend’ it with those you ‘cherish’. So I came ‘here’ to be with the ‘fish’.”

“Oh”, Wataru blinks. “What about us?”

“We spend a lot of time ‘together’, though? Nacchan just had his ‘birthday’ too...” Kanata tilts his head.

“That’s true”, Wataru laughs. It’s not as much as he’d like, but with graduation approaching, they’ve all been rather busy. That’s why Wataru makes sure to cherish all the limited time he gets with his most beloved four.

“You won’t disappear after graduation, I hope?” Wataru searches Kanata’s face.

“If you ‘promise’ the same”, Kanata’s eyes are an ocean, just as deep, a mixture of their own green and the blue from the aquariums, and Wataru nods without hesitation.

“There is little I want more than to be allowed to stay with you”, he says, and means it.

Kanata laces their fingers and begins to hum, laying his head on Wataru’s shoulder. Wataru waits a while before talking, not wanting to break the precious moment – but he can’t sit here forever, not with two more to visit.

“I have something for you”, he whispers, and Kanata lifts his head.

“Hmm? A ‘gift’…?”

“First”, Wataru hands him a red rose, and Kanata takes it even though his mouth turns into a pout.

“’Blue’ would have been better...” he mutters, and Wataru laughs and presses a kiss to the top of his head.

“I’ll grow a dozen of blue roses just for you, once the weather so allows”, he promises, and Kanata giggles.

“Hehe… maybe I can ‘wait’.”

“A dozen, two dozens, a hundred – ask it of me and I’ll grow a whole garden of every blue flower imaginable. But red roses symbolise love, you know? That’s why I wanted to give it to you.”

“Eh…? But I already know Wataru ‘loves’ me…?” Kanata twirls the rose between his fingers. “You have ‘said’ it many times, so ‘why’ is there a need for this?”

“That’s just who I am, my dear”, Wataru hums, cupping Kanata’s cheek with his free hand. “I want to show my love in as many different ways as possible, to make sure you don’t forget!”

“I would ‘never’”, Kanata shakes his head. “Not ‘any’ of you.”

“Then maybe I just like saying it all the time”, Wataru almost reaches over to kiss him, but – ah, no, he shouldn’t get carried away. “That’s not the only gift. Here you go~”

For Kanata, Wataru picked a blue paper bag (of course), and Kanata opens it slowly and carefully. While the other three aren’t too fond of overly sugary food, for Kanata’s chocolate, Wataru spent their share as well. At this point, he could give Kanata pure sugar cubes, and it wouldn’t make much of a difference.

“Oh… they look ‘tasty’”, Kanata’s smile is gentle, and Wataru’s heart begins to beat faster. “Will you ‘feed’ me one?”

“I didn’t even have to ask?” Wataru gasps. “Of course! I asked Natsume-kun, but he refused...”

“Hmm~ Nacchan gets ‘shy’ sometimes”, Kanata giggles. “Especially with ‘Wataru’.”

“He’s just adorable”, Wataru agrees. “Now, open up~”

Kanata happily obliges, and Wataru offers him the first piece of chocolate. Instead of eating it whole, Kanata bites it in half, and some of the caramel filling spills on Wataru’s fingers.

“Oops”, Kanata stifles a giggle. “Sorry.”

He doesn’t look like he’s sorry. It’s kind of cute, really.

Kanata reaches out to eat the rest of the chocolate, and takes a hold of Wataru’s hand to also lick off the stray caramel.

“That’s not the only piece I made, you know”, Wataru laughs, and Kanata lets go of his hand.

“Not a single piece should be ‘wasted’… after all, you made it with ‘love’”, he frowns, and Wataru kisses him.

Kanata tastes like the caramel inside the chocolate, just as sweet as his heart, and Wataru pulls away just so he can kiss him again.

“You are a treasure”, he smiles, and Kanata briefly lays his face against Wataru’s neck and breathes in.

“Precious… Wataru is ‘precious’”, he replies, hands desperately gripping at Wataru’s hair, like he was scared he could disappear any second. “Can I have ‘another’?”

“For you, anything”, Wataru murmurs, taking another piece out of the bag. This time, Kanata eats it whole.

“Hehe… they _are_ tasty”, Kanata licks his lips. “I could eat them ‘all’ right now~”

“Oh, no, you shouldn’t”, Wataru holds the bag closer to his chest.

“Then I will ‘save’ the rest”, Kanata pouts. “’One’ more?”

One more turns into four more, with how bad Wataru is at refusal when Kanata opens his eyes wide and pretends he’s near to tears.

Well, he’s weak whichever of them would make eyes like that, but Kanata and Natsume are the only ones who exploit this weakness.

After six whole pieces, Kanata seems content, and rests against the back of the couch, closing his eyes.

“Natsume-kun also sent his regards”, Wataru mentions. “Or rather, he sent you a kiss.”

“He could give it to me ‘himself’”, Kanata opens his eyes again.

“He’s been in hiding.”

“Yes… the ‘secret room’. That place is ‘cold’.”

“He should surface tomorrow”, Wataru spins around to sit on Kanata’s lap, and Kanata takes his waist to pull him closer. “I’ll tell him to see you when he has the time.”

“Thank you”, Kanata mutters. Wataru lays his hands on Kanata’s cheeks and leans in.

The rhythm of their kiss is slow and familiar, and neither makes a move to part until they draw out of air – even then, both try to linger, but eventually, have to pull apart to breathe.

“That was not ‘Nacchan’”, Kanata says as soon as he’s gotten a moment to gather himself.

It wasn’t. Natsume’s kisses are short and chaste, and might end faster than expected if he grows embarrassed enough about it.

“I guess I have to give another, then”, Wataru grins, and this time, keeps it short. Right. He shouldn’t linger.

“I’ll leave the rest of the chocolates here”, Wataru says softly, full of regret that he can’t stay and snuggle against Kanata to take a nap with him. “Classes should be over by now, and I have two more to visit.”

Kanata’s lips draw into another pout.

“’Next’ time… stay longer”, he pleads.

“I’ll come by...☆” Wataru promises, pressing his lips on Kanata’s forehead and then his nose. “Think of me when you eat the rest?”

“I ‘will’”, Kanata nods. He lies down on the couch as soon as Wataru stands up, closing his eyes. Wataru finds a blanket to throw over him, and then he leaves just as silently as he walked in.


	3. Shu

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Third chapter already! Thanks to all who have read and shown their support so far ♥♥

Shu should be easy enough to find. He hasn’t spoken kindly on the topic of _Valentine’s Day,_ and when Wataru asked him days ago how he intends to spent it, he scoffed and said he’ll be working like any other day, thank you very much.

That means the handicrafts club room, then. Even though Shu has displayed reluctance towards this particular holiday, Wataru doubts he’d refuse a gift.

After all, there’s a reason he lets them touch him, allows them to grace his skin with kisses and his ears with words of devotion.

So – he will probably be hesitant, but Wataru has full faith Shu will accept whatever display of affection Wataru wishes to lay upon him.

Wataru doesn’t sneak about when entering Shu’s room, as out of all his partners, Shu is the most suspectible to faint from shock. No, today Wataru aims to be romantic, the perfect model of a boyfriend.

“Wataru”, Shu acknowledges his presence. “Good you’re here, I could use a distraction. The whole school acts like lovestruck children – and what’s with the tacky decorations everywhere?”

Wataru drifts closer, a smile tugging at his lips. Shu is wearing a frown, and he’s hand-sewing furiously at a piece of clothing Wataru doesn’t recognise.

“Well, it _is_ a celebration of love”, Wataru lays his bag at a nearby chair. “I take it you’re not too fond of today?”

“Such a frivolous festival? _Non!”_ Shu shakes his head. “I believe I told this to you only three days ago.”

“You did, but I just love listening to your voice, Shu~u☆”, Wataru stretches out his name, and Shu looks up and blinks, his cheeks dusted pink.

“Shush”, he demands before laying his eyes back on what he’s working on. “I should have expected you to enjoy a day such as this.”

Hmm, he seems to need a little more persuasion.

“Where’s little crow today?” Wataru asks as a distraction, slowly approaching Shu’s chair.

“On a… _date”,_ Shu doesn’t look up. “He seemed very excited about it, so I allowed him to take today off.”

Wataru circles Shu to stand behind him, and then leans over his shoulder, just close enough that his hair tickles at Shu’s cheek.

“What’s that?” Wataru asks softly, causing Shu to jump upon realising just how close Wataru sneaked.

“Hmm – nothing, really”, Shu claims.

The fabric looks cheaper than Shu’s standards usually demand – could it be a prototype for something more important?

Shu lays his project on the table and turns towards Wataru. His face is still flushed, though he’s trying his best to hide any signs of nervousness.

Oh, it’s definitely a day he can be persuaded into kissing a little; Wataru can read him well enough by now, and if his behaviour or speech suggested intimacy was off-limits today, Wataru would back down, simple as that.

Fortunately for both of them, today is one of the days Shu is simply embarrassed (and irritated, but not because of Wataru), so Wataru whips out a red rose.

“Even if you’re not fond of the concept, will you allow me to treat you with love today?”

Shu’s blush turns more furious, and his mouth opens but then closes just as quickly.

He’s still at a loss of words whenever Wataru sweet-talks him well enough, and that knowledge alone makes Wataru’s heart soar.

“If it makes you happy”, Shu finally mutters, the words coming out sharp even as his eyes soften. He glances over Wataru’s eyes, moves his gaze down, then diverts it somewhere behind him before settling back on Wataru’s mouth.

Wataru leans closer with half-lidded eyes, but Shu pulls back and takes the rose from Wataru’s hand.

“It’s beautiful”, he notes, bringing it towards his nose to smell it. He holds Wataru’s gaze steady in his and presses a chaste kiss on the outer layer of the petals, and now it’s Wataru’s turn to get flustered. A feeling of warmth spreads from his chest to his face, and he exhales softly.

Shu is merciless, when he so wills.

“That’s”, Wataru coughs, taking just a second or two to collect himself, “not the only gift I have.”

Shu raises an eyebrow, and Wataru goes back to his bag to take out the light pink paper bag inside.

“Here you go~ crafted with love, specially for you~”

He means every word. Shu’s chocolates are his masterpieces, fine dark chocolate with bits of orange, molded into the shape of small cogs, reminiscent of Valkyrie’s aesthetic.

“Hmm”, Shu observes a piece, “it’s chocolate.”

“You do know what Valentine’s Day is, right?”

“That’s rude”, Shu throws him an accusing stare.

“Now, then, won’t you let me feed that to you?”

The silence that follows is longer than it needs to be, and Shu stares at him with hard eyes, like he was trying to determine whether it was a joke or not.

“...With your hands? Absolutely not!” Shu refuses even more fervently than Natsume did just a few hours ago.

“I wasn’t thinking of hands”, Wataru begins – right, this is why they call him a fool. For all the thinking he does, he sure blurts out the wrong things at the wrong time.

Shu narrows his eyes, and Wataru can’t back down.

“I was thinking of my mouth”, he confesses, and Shu pales momentarily before his face flares red again.

“What! That would be _completely_ unhygienic!”

“You let me kiss you”, Wataru argues, opening his eyes wider in hopes that a tearful look will soften Shu a little.

“That’s entirely different”, Shu shakes his head furiously, seemingly not softened. “It doesn’t involve… moving _food_ … from one mouth to another!”

“Well, it was worth a try”, Wataru sighs.

“Hmh”, Shu averts his gaze, “still… kissing is… acceptable.”

“Oh, love”, Wataru cups Shu’s cheek and savours the look on his face for just a second before going in.

As always, it takes a moment before Shu relaxes into the kiss, and only then Wataru dares to deepen it, bringing his other hand to the back of Shu’s head.

Shu moves his own hands, but Wataru quickly grabs him by the wrist before he can touch Wataru.

“Shu”, he begins against Shu’s lips as Shu makes a disgruntled noise, “you should eat that first.”

Shu’s eyes shoot open and he pulls back to look at his hand. He’s still holding the chocolate, which has begun to melt.

“I’m flattered I’m that much of a distraction, but I could do without cleaning that from my clothes”, Wataru lets go of Shu and tries his hardest to not laugh. Shu pointedly looks away while he licks the chocolate off his hand, and Wataru hopes it still tastes as good as it did before.

Based on the way Shu inhales when he tastes it, the answer should be yes.

“So?” Wataru asks, and Shu licks his lips before looking back at him.

“It’s… good, for a sweet.”

“Why, thank you”, Wataru’s eyes are drawn to the left side of Shu’s mouth with a persistent smudge of chocolate. “Let me just...”

Shu freezes when Wataru sits on his lap and throws his arms over Shu’s shoulders, then leans closer to lick off that chocolate.

“Shameless”, Shu complains, wrapping his arms around Wataru’s waist. “Shameless”, he repeats, tilting his head to kiss Wataru.

“I know”, Wataru giggles into Shu’s mouth, “but you like me like that, don’t you?”

“Ugh”, Shu groans, unable to deny Wataru’s words.

Wataru lays his forehead against Shu’s after they part, closing his eyes to simply breathe.

It’s time.

“Oh, what a tragedy to part, but I’ll have to see you later”, Wataru sighs, “since there’s one more I haven’t visited yet.”

“Ah”, is all Shu says.

“Pay a visit to Natsume-kun if you can spare the time, would you? He’s still cooped up in his lab. And if he offers you chocolate, whatever he says it is – remember it includes chili, okay?”

The words elicit a chuckle from Shu, and Wataru can’t stop himself from kissing that lovely smile once more.

“Then, I have to bid goodbye for now...” Wataru regretfully gets up from Shu’s lap, dragging his fingers over Shu’s cheek as a farewell. Shu kisses his fingers before he pulls them away, and Wataru ghosts them over Shu’s lips and jaw for a while longer.

“Wataru...” Shu whispers, eyes soft and lips curled into a smile.

“Beloved”, Wataru replies, finally tearing his hand away. “Good luck with your work.”

“Thank you. Say hello to...”

“Rei”, Wataru helps.

“Rei”, Shu nods. “He could use some sugar in his system.”

“He’s not good with too much sugar, remember?”

“Yes”, Shu confirms. “Well, run along, then. You probably have to spend a while waking him up from a nap.”

“Who knows? He might be awake”, Wataru laughs, taking his bag on the way out.

When he glances behind him, Shu has picked up the piece of clothing he was working on before, and runs his long fingers across it absentmindedly, his eyes flickering towards Wataru’s back.

Oh, he’s just lovely, Wataru thinks, a spring in his step as he exits the room.


	4. Rei

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Valentine's Day! Here's the fourth valentine's chapter, which is, unsurprisingly, Rei. Warning in this one for blood, but it's nothing graphic!

To find Rei, there isn’t a better place to wager on than the light music club room. A bigger source of uncertainty is whether he’ll be alone, especially with how busy UNDEAD has been – but if he isn’t, then Wataru just has to sweep him out of the room with apologies to whoever he is with.

Wataru slams the door open, ready for a show, and Rei startles, dropping the small package he’s holding.

“Whoops, sorry!” Wataru closes the door and strides over the floor to get to Rei.

“You know how weak my old heart is...” Rei complains, slowly bending down to pick up what fell.

“Oh? Don’t you always say our mere presence makes you feel less old?”

“ _Presence_ is different from _deadly shock_ ”, Rei carefully sets the package down.

“I like to think a few surprises keep the body and mind younger”, Wataru looks down at the table Rei is gathered around. It’s a small side table, stacked full of what look like gifts – ah.

“Someone’s popular”, Wataru picks up one of them. He faintly recognises the name in the tag – a junior from the regular course, perhaps?

“Surely, you’ve got your share as well”, Rei hums. “With _that_ face?”

“Charmer”, Wataru lays the gift back on the table. “Someone might have left something in my locker. It seems most of those younger than me are too intimidated to approach me directly...” he sighs and shakes his head.

“That’s also understandable”, Rei teases. “With that personality.”

“Oh, cruel!” Wataru pouts, drifting even closer. “And to think I was going to give you a gift!”

“I don’t have anything for you, though.”

“Mm, that doesn’t matter. The others didn’t, either. I know you’ve been awfully busy in practise and preparations.”

Rei presses a soft kiss to Wataru’s cheek.

“You are a sweetheart”, he murmurs, and Wataru resists the urge to tilt his head just a little to meet Rei’s lips with his. They have plenty of time for that after the gifts.

“First...” Wataru pulls a deep red rose from his sleeve. “Mind you, not just any rose. I grew these myself.”

“Lovely”, Rei smiles, and Wataru notes his eyes meet the exact shade of the rose, just like he thought they would.

“Red for love”, Wataru explains.

“You don’t have to tell me that”, Rei closes his eyes to smell the rose. “Mm… the scent is so good, I just want to eat it whole.”

“There’s no need to, as I brought something else to eat!”

“Yourself?” Rei wiggles his eyebrows, and Wataru bursts into bright laughter.

“Actually… just this.”

Rei’s paper bag is black, mostly because Wataru wanted them all to have different colours and he already gave a red one to Natsume.

“You’re more of a main course, anyway”, Rei opens the bag, “oh? This is...”

“Don’t tell me you’re surprised about getting chocolates on Valentine’s”, Wataru giggles. “I made it with as little sugar as possible.”

“Appreciated”, Rei nods. “I haven’t been tasting the other gifts yet, but if it’s yours...”

“I’ve been allowed to do much less feeding than I would’ve liked, today”, Wataru raises an eyebrow. “I’m just saying.”

“Gladly”, Rei’s grin is so wide Wataru can see his fangs. “Why don’t we get more comfortable.”

Rei drifts towards his coffin with a sway in his hips, and Wataru follows suit, dropping his bag on the floor. With surprising agility, Rei peels off his shoes and climbs into the coffin. Wataru takes a while longer, relishing the slight impatience he can spot in Rei’s eyes.

Wataru seats himself between Rei’s legs to allow them to be closer. Rei hands the bag to Wataru, who takes out a bat-shaped piece of dark chocolate.

“That’s cute”, Rei notes. “Did everyone get their own shapes?”

“Of course”, Wataru nods.

“You are too good for us, love”, Rei brings his hands to comb through Wataru’s hair.

“It’s because I love you so much”, Wataru places the piece of chocolate between his teeth and rests his hands on Rei’s shoulders.

“Ohh”, Rei mumbles, eyes flicking down. “This one is a pleasant surprise”, he leans in.

Wataru hums when their lips meet and pushes the chocolate into Rei’s mouth as soon as he opens it. Wataru lets his tongue linger and Rei lightly draws his teeth on it as he pulls the chocolate further in.

They separate so Rei can eat the chocolate, and Wataru licks his own lips clean. He wants to taste Rei again, but he also wants to hear what he thinks.

“Oh, that’s good”, Rei sighs. “Do I taste a hint of cherry?”

“Cherries are red”, Wataru says, like it was the most simple explanation in the world, and Rei nods, completely getting what he means.

“Another?” Wataru asks.

“Mm”, Rei circles his arms around Wataru’s waist and pulls him a little closer. “You’re not going to make me beg, are you?”

“The thought is tempting”, Wataru places a second chocolate in his mouth.

Rei bites into the piece, breaking it in half, and then pushes his tongue in to scoop the rest from inside Wataru’s mouth.

This time, Wataru keeps kissing Rei, only parting to give him a second to swallow the chocolate. Then he presses closer, leaning more against Rei, and almost sends them toppling to the bottom of the coffin since they’re sitting in the middle of it. They separate, then, to regain their balance.

“Back up”, Rei breathes heavily, his lips slightly parted. There’s the dangerous kind of glint in his eyes that makes Wataru’s stomach jolt, and he obeys without resistance, crawling off Rei’s lap and then backwards, until his back meets with the edge of the coffin.

Rei is on him in an instant, pushing his knees down so he can sit on his lap. Wataru draws him closer by the waist, and Rei presses his whole weight against Wataru, grinding slowly against him.

“Mm”, Wataru opens his mouth, and Rei takes the opportunity to catch his bottom lip between his teeth. Rei tilts his head, bites down, and -

There’s a sharp pain around Wataru’s mouth that makes him blink, but it’s one he’s more or less used to and it doesn’t shake him as much as in the past.

Wataru allows Rei to pull at his lip to draw blood from it, and Rei tugs and licks while his hands seek their way under Wataru’s shirts. Rei’s fingers are cold, and Wataru flinches when they make contact with his stomach.

Rei attempts to pull Wataru’s shirt and vest up at once, and grunts when he fails.

“They have buttons, you know”, Wataru says breathlessly.

“You wear too many layers”, Rei complains, leaving Wataru’s skin and bringing his fingers to the first buttons he can find.

“Sorry”, is all Wataru can manage. “It’s winter.”

Rei keeps kissing him while opening what is probably his vest, and Wataru tugs at Rei’s jacket, unable to take it off while Rei’s hands are still on him.

“You should -” Wataru begins, but is never allowed to finish the sentence, since the door slams open and someone else’s voice booms through the room.

“Your break’s over, old man! Time to resume practise -”

Wataru, unable to turn his head since Rei’s mouth is currently latched to the wound on his lip, searches his memory for the owner of the voice.

“S-sakuma-senpai?”

Two voices, two underclassmen. Rei’s unit.

Rei carefully separates from Wataru, and Wataru lets Rei’s jacket fall back down.

Two… no, three members of UNDEAD, all with stunned faces.

“You didn’t lock the door?” Rei asks slowly.

“I didn’t think you’d start undressing me”, Wataru tries at his lip with his tongue and winces. “This one’s still deep.”

“I’ll look at it in a second”, Rei promises, turning his head towards the door. “Children, I’ll be with you in a moment. Just let me bid farewell to my boyfriend.”

The trio doesn’t move, and Rei stands up in the coffin, offering Wataru a hand to pull him up as well. Wataru takes support from the edge, just in case Rei isn’t strong enough to hold both their weights, and together, they stumble out of the coffin.

Wataru leans back to pick up the bag of chocolates while Rei smooths his hair out a little.

“Here you go!” Wataru’s voice is overly cheerful, considering there’s blood dripping on his jaw. While Rei takes the bag and brings it to the table with the other chocolates, Wataru slips his shoes back on.

“Well… thank you for the gift”, Rei’s eyes flicker between Wataru’s eyes and mouth. “I’ll get that for you.”

There are a _lot_ of sexier things than Rei licking Wataru’s jaw and lips clean with three people (that aren’t the rest of their partners) watching, but Wataru supposes the situation is on both of them. Rei needs to linger on the wound so his weird vampire spit helps it close, and Wataru does his best to stay still.

“It should be fine now”, Rei steps away. “I’ll see you soon?”

“I hope so”, Wataru tries at his lip again, and it’s sore but not bleeding. He picks his bag up on the way, and jogs towards the door, hastily buttoning his vest.

“Well then! It was great to see you all as well. Happy Valentine’s Day”, Wataru pulls a few rose petals from his sleeve, scatters them around Rei’s unit, and dances out of the room.

Wataru thinks he can hear a faint _in our club room!_ somewhere behind him, but he can’t really be sure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was the last of the valentine's chapters! The fifth chapter will (hopefully) be posted on Wataru's birthday, so I'll see you then!


	5. Wataru

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's finally Wataru's birthday!! This chapter was surprisingly difficult to write, since suddenly I had to write five characters simultaneously, but I finished it just in time!
> 
> I decided to write Rei using first names for the other oddballs, since he did so in the past and I'd think he'd do that again if they were to all grow closer again.

Sociable as he is, after a whole day of festivities, Wataru is more than ready to retire. It’s a fact that many of the people attending don’t really care that it’s _his_ birthday – he’s not exactly well-liked – and are there simply to have a party. He’d much rather leave everyone else and spend the rest of the evening with just the other four oddballs.

Speaking of his partners, he hasn’t seen them in a while. He wonders if they tired of the celebrations as well, since all of them are even less fond of crowds than him.

Surely, then, he’s allowed to leave his own party, especially since most other people did as soon as they ran out of cake. He slips away from whoever is left (no one he cares about that much, anyway) and heads to his locker – the birthday sash makes for a great show, but there’s no reason to keep it on if there are no more people to admire it.

On his way, Wataru finds something from the back pocket of his pants, and slows down. He doesn’t remember putting anything in there, but there’s definitely _something_ in there.

Upon further inspection, it’s a piece of paper, and on one side, are written down exactly two words.

_Your house._

Wataru turns the paper around to check the other side, but no – those are the only words on it. He dials back on everything that transpired today, back to when Rei was getting a little too handsy and Shu had to pull him off Wataru because there were people _watching_ and they had _reputations_ to upkeep.

(Not that everyone at the school didn’t know or guess, already, but Shu and Natsume get nervous about people seeing, and Wataru doesn’t mind keeping pda to the minimum for their sake.)

The handwriting is Natsume’s instead of Rei’s, but Wataru can’t think of any moment where Natsume would have got to his back pocket today, so it had to be Rei. In any case, it seems they were working together, so that might mean their disappearance is related – and the other two, as well.

Hmm! If they want Wataru to go home, then he will. He hopes all four of them are there, as the last time they were all gathered together and alone was on Natsume’s birthday.

Well, only one way to find out. Wataru doesn’t bother changing out of his unit outfit, but changes his shoes and throws his winter coat and a scarf on.

The school is all but deserted, with how late it has become, and Wataru meets no one on his way out.

He walks in brisk steps, the winter air revitalising him. Now that he’s out of the school, he feels like breathing is easier. Sure, parties are fun, but they get boring if the people are boring, and there are only a few people in Yumenosaki who can keep him entertained.  
Looks like at least two of these people have planned something for him. He wonders, what kind of a surprise, how grand…

He doesn’t mind if it’s nothing big. There’s been enough celebrations, and this far into the day, all he wants is to have them all in his arms.

Wataru is cold by the time he gets to his house, wearing no other pants than those of his unit outfit, and he fumbles with the key. He quickly slips in, and finds that the lights are on.

“I’m home”, Wataru calls, closing the door behind him. He’s taking off his shoes when Shu appears in his sight, and has to do a double-take since Shu’s clothing is far from what he expected.

“W-welcome home”, Shu, wearing what looks suspiciously like a light pink rabbit onesie, walks closer, and as soon as Wataru is standing upright again, Shu grabs his waist and pulls him for a kiss.

Wataru doesn’t allow himself to be fazed, but as soon as he wraps his own arms around Shu and slips one hand down his back, Shu retreats instead.

“Okay, that’s enough”, Shu’s cheeks are warm and he carefully moves Wataru’s hand away from his ass.

“Huh”, Wataru blinks. Now he notes there are three others looking at them.

“I dared him to do that”, Rei smirks.

“I wouldn’t back down from a challenge”, Shu huffs, stepping away from Wataru.

The rest of them are wearing animal onesies as well, but they look more comfortable about them than Shu. Kanata especially, his hands hidden inside the too-long sleeves of a shark costume.

“Come on, come IN”, Natsume urges. His onesie is modelled after a cat – very Natsume-like, Wataru agrees. Natsume takes Shu’s hand with a giggle to drag the still embarrassed boy further into the house.

“He _really_ must tolerate a lot from you”, Rei sighs as he helps Wataru take off his coat. “Whenever I try to grab his ass, he yells.”

“Take it slower”, Wataru advices. “Make it more of a slide instead of a grab, and make _sure_ to watch his mood! You get rough sometimes, and while I don’t mind, he’s _very_ particular about how he wants his affection.”

“It’s almost scary how well you know us”, Rei gives him a short kiss, “now, as he said, come in. They’re waiting for us.”

“Love the bat look. It’s very you”, Wataru slides his fingers over Rei’s soft sleeve.

“We took care to choose them accordingly”, Rei agrees, taking him by the hand.

Rei leads Wataru to his own room, where the rest of them have already made themselves comfortable. Shu chose the chair by Wataru’s desk while Kanata sits on Wataru’s bed with Natsume nestled between his arms.

“Well, here’s the birthday boy”, Rei announces. Kanata and Natsume clap, and Wataru bows in an exaggerated motion.

“So, is this like an afterparty?” Wataru asks.

“We thought something smaller, since you’ve been thrown around all day”, Shu explains.

“We thought you would be ‘tired’”, Kanata’s words are emphasised by a yawn.

“I don’t get tired”, Wataru jokes, and Rei lightly bumps his shoulder against Wataru’s.

“Now, get out of those clothes”, Shu frowns. “They remind me of Tenshouin.”

“Oh?” Wataru smirks. “Would you rather have me wear nothing?”

“No!” Shu and Natsume shriek in unison.

“We have one for ‘you’, as well”, Kanata laughs, hugging the blushing Natsume tighter. Shu holds out a delightful mess of colours.

“Will you at least help me put that on?” Wataru pouts.

“You know very well how to dress yourself”, Shu tries to hand him the onesie.

“I don’t know… they look awfully complicated”, Wataru sighs.

“No, they don’t”, Shu argues.

“It’s my birthday”, Wataru pleads.

“It’s his birthday”, Rei repeats. “Come on, I’ll help you out.”

“As long as he takes off his own pants”, Shu stands up with a huff.

“I think I can manage”, Wataru beams at him.

He spreads out his arms so that Rei can pull his jacket off, after which he reaches over Wataru’s chest to unbutton his vest while Shu begins undoing his tie. After the vest is open, they both take on the buttons of his shirt, and then Shu slides the shirt and vest down Wataru’s arms a bit so Rei can take them off, too.

“Wataru has been ‘working out’”, Kanata giggles from the bed. “Looks ‘good’.”

“Why, thank you”, Wataru straightens his back. “What do you think, Natsume-kun?”

“I think you should put a shirt ON”, Natsume groans.

“So soon?” Rei asks, laying his head on Wataru’s shoulder and sliding his hands on his sides towards his chest and stomach.

“I ‘want’ to do that too”, Kanata begins scrambling off the bed. “Wataru has a ‘firm’ chest, so ‘touching’ it feels nice.”

“Oh, you flatter me, Kanata...☆”

“Come along, Nacchan~” Kanata still holds Natsume, and lifts him off the bed as he leaves it. He drags Natsume to where the rest of them are, and Natsume lets out a very undignified croak.

“We should proceed -” Shu attempts, but Rei interrupts him.

“Don’t be hasty, now, we’ve got time”, Rei lays his face against the back of Wataru’s neck, moving his hands back to the sides of Wataru’s waist. “There’s enough of him for everyone.”

“Yes~♪” Kanata nuzzles his face against Wataru’s neck and presses his hands on Wataru’s stomach. “Mm, like I ‘said’, very nice. And ‘warm’, too. Try it out, Nacchan~”

“Oh, uh, HM”, Natsume stutters, “only if Shu-niisan does it, TOO.”

Kanata slides closer to Rei to free some space, and Shu blinks.

“What! For crying out… fine!” Shu slaps his palm against Wataru’s stomach with surprising force.

“Oof”, Wataru exhales. “Be more gentle, I’m old now…! But it’s okay, I’m also very durable”, he finishes with a wink, and Shu withdraws his hand.

“Wataru…!”

“I’m doing thIS”, Natsume announces quickly, closing his eyes before lightly tapping his hand against Wataru’s chest.

“You didn’t even give me time to flex”, Wataru complains, and Natsume hides himself in Shu’s chest with a groan to hide his blush.

“If Rei and Kanata would let you go, we could continue”, Shu mutters, trying very hard to keep his eyes from wandering below Wataru’s neck.

“That was fun, but it’s getting a little cold without a shirt”, Wataru agrees.

“If I ‘have’ to”, Kanata sighs, giving one last pat to Wataru’s stomach.

“My chest is not going anywhere. Rei, that goes for you, too!” Wataru takes Rei’s hands and removes them from his waist.

“Fine”, Rei grumbles, stepping back.

“Then just give me that, take a few steps away, and I’ll take care of it in an instant”, Wataru reaches out towards Shu, who finally hands him the onesie.

With expert speed learned in theatre, Wataru strips down to his underwear, and then, to save them all from further embarrassment (though he has heard his legs are quite nice to look at), climbs into the onesie and zips it up.

“Looks like it wasn’t so difficult after all”, Shu raises an eyebrow.

“This is?” Wataru stares down at himself, and then breaks into a smile. He wasn’t sure before he saw it on him, but now it’s clear they chose him an unicorn. “Why, how did you know they’re my favourite animals?”

“Your favourite animals are birDS”, Natsume reminds him.

“Oh, I meant apart from birds! I don’t count them since they’re all my friends”, Wataru laughs.

“Each one of them?” Shu chuckles.

“Remember when we went to the zoo and each bird we passed tried to fly to him?” Rei asks. “Or when that one kid called Kanata weird and at least fifteen wild birds pooped on him that week? On friday a flock followed him around like it was that one movie?”

“I’ll have you know it was entirely his own fault”, Wataru huffs. “Kanata may be weird, but it’s not a bad thing! But starting fist fights with witnesses around would be bad for my image...”

“With witnesses arouND”, Natsume repeats.

“I’d fight to defend the honour of each of you, any day”, Wataru announces, “and you know I’d win. Give me any name, and I’ll put on a mask and beat them up in a street corner!”

“I do not like ‘fighting’”, Kanata shakes his head.

“Then I’ll send them a more or less polite letter to make them change their ways”, Wataru nods. “And _then_ put on a mask and threaten them a little, maybe. Just to be sure.”

“Hmm… ‘better’”, Kanata smiles.

“Well? Do I look cute?” Wataru pulls his hood on and spins around.

“Cuter than anyone”, Rei circles Wataru. “...Except perhaps Natsume.”

“That’s okay, I think he’s the cutest of us too”, Wataru takes off the hood and then pulls Natsume closer by the hand to kiss any spot on his face he can reach – which turns out to be his nose.

“I’ve grown up too, you knOW”, Natsume pouts.

“Yes… handsome would be a better word, wouldn’t it? Still, they’re not mutually exclusive attributes! You’re cute, and handsome, and gorgeous, and -”

“I get IT”, Natsume throws his head back in defeat, and Wataru leans down to press a kiss on his neck, causing him to yelp.

“Now, now, I said he’s cute, but we have other gifts for you”, Rei pulls Natsume against his own chest and ruffles his hair. “Although I’m not too thrilled about the food we made.”

“We made ‘cupcakes’~” Kanata singsongs. “The ones with extra ‘frosting’ are for ‘us’ two.”

“Oh, I love you”, Wataru steps over to Kanata to kiss his cheek, then spins around to do the same to Rei and Natsume, and finally, Shu. “You are all such darlings! How did I ever find people like you?”

“Don’t say that until you taste them”, Shu frowns. “I thought we used far too much sugar, but Kanata insisted...”

“Sugar isn’t poisonous! Anything you made must be good”, Wataru takes Shu’s hand. “If you don’t like them, I’ll just eat them all☆”

“I’ll get them from the kitchen, then”, Shu nods. “Natsume, will you lend me a hand?”

“Of course”, Natsume takes Shu’s hand from Wataru and they walk towards the door.

“You used the kitchen?” Wataru raises an eyebrow.

“Naturally we discussed this with your parents”, Rei tilts his head. “Hmm… they said they’ll be gone for the evening, for us. We prepared the cupcakes in advance, of course.”

“They do like all of you an awful lot”, Wataru laughs. “Or maybe they can sense I finally like someone for real.”

“Aw”, Rei mumbles, casting his eyes down.

“Sit ‘down’”, Kanata entwines his fingers with Wataru’s and pulls him towards the bed. “Rei?”

“Yes”, Rei follows them.

They seat themselves with Wataru in the middle, and sit in comfortable silence until Shu and Natsume come back. Shu carries a tray of colourful cupcakes, and Natsume holds a strange bottle in his hand.

“What’s that?” Wataru asks immediately, eyes glued to the bottle.

“Hmm, well… it’s my giFT”, Natsume admits.

“Oh, we’re doing gifts!” Wataru exclaims with a smile.

“It’s your birthday, naturally we’re doing gifts”, Shu lays the cupcakes on Wataru’s writing desk. “Do you want to taste one right away?”

“Hmm~m”, Wataru hums. “If one of you feeds me.”

“I heard Natsume and Shu refused to be fed on Valentine’s”, Rei says immediately. “It’s on one of you, then.”

“That doesn’t make sense”, Shu flushes red. “And he wanted to use his mouth!”

“Rei let me”, Wataru pouts.

“Well, Rei is just like that”, Shu shakes his head. “Just as shameless as you.”

“Ah… I can do thAT”, Natsume raises his hand. “Feed him oNE. It he doesn’t lick my hand this tiME.”

“When did I ever lick your hand?” Wataru feigns innocence.

“When you wanted me to feed you the candies I maDE”, Natsume determinedly avoids Wataru’s gaze.

“That time! Yes, I remember”, Wataru lets out a giggle. “I couldn’t help it. You look adorable when you get flustered~”

“I might change my mind about that cupcaKE.”

“Noooo, don’t”, Wataru wails. “I _promise_ I won’t lick your hand this time!”

“Here you go, thEN”, Natsume picks up a cupcake with an excessive amount of bright yellow frosting and brings it to Wataru. Wataru leans forward to take a bite – oh, the frosting tastes like lemon, but the cupcake itself like vanilla.

It tastes like love.

The rest of them shuffle around while Natsume feeds Wataru the whole cupcake. Shu and Kanata both sit down holding suspicious gifts, though Rei doesn’t move from Wataru’s side.

“How was IT?” Natsume wipes off some stray frosting from the side of Wataru’s mouth.

“Delicious, as expected...☆”

“That’s good”, Shu sighs. “Not too sweet?”

“Not at all!” Wataru grins. “Now, I take it you’re ready to hand out the gifts?”

“You can pick who starts”, Rei nods.

“Oh! I want that weird bottle Natsume-kun carried from the kitchen”, Wataru gasps.

“I’m startiNG?” Natsume wipes his hands on his onesie, earning a stern gaze from Shu, and then goes back to the desk with the cupcakes, where he left the bottle as well.

It glitters. That’s the best way to describe it – the liquid inside swirls when Natsume lifts it, and the colour itself seems to shift between silver and metallic purple.

“Happy birthDAY”, Natsume hands the bottle to Wataru, who carefully takes it in his hands.

“What is it?” Wataru asks immediately, shaking it ever so lightly.

“It’s a love potiON”, Natsume says without pause. “Just like you asKED.”

“Well! If this is my gift, I shall drink it!” Wataru screws the bottle open.

“Ah, niisan, waIT -” Natsume begins, but Wataru is already chugging down some of the liquid.

There’s a silence upon the room, and Wataru tries out the taste.

“Hmm? I can’t quite describe it, but somehow, I feel like this is supposed to be my favourite taste… I don’t feel any different, though?”

“That’s because it’s faKE”, Natsume mutters. He looks embarrassed, for some reason. “Because, uh… I don’t need to make you drink a love potiON… since you already love ME… ah, you went at it too faST. I practised these lines and everythiNG.”

“Oh no! I’m sorry, Natsume-kun – come here, come here”, Wataru lays the bottle on the floor and gestures Natsume to approach. Natsume sits on his lap without complaint, and Wataru wraps his arms around him. “Still! I’d say it worked. I do feel like I love you a little more.”

“That’s embarrassiNG”, Natsume groans, cupping Wataru’s face with his hands. “ _You’re_ embarrassing, niiSAN. Happy birthDAY”, with sudden bravery, Natsume kisses him. Wataru’s hands find Natsume’s waist, and Natsume draws his fingers through Wataru’s hair. The taste of the potion Natsume made for him lingers, and makes the kiss all the sweeter.

“What _is_ the taste, though?” Wataru asks after they separate.

“I took care to create something that would be the most appealing to YOU”, Natsume says while trying to catch his breath. “It worKED?”

“Best thing I ever tasted. Well, after you four -”

Natsume silences him with another kiss.

“Can I go next? I ‘want’ to kiss Wataru too”, Kanata says after giving them a while.

“Of course”, Rei nods.

Natsume slides off Wataru’s lap so Kanata can give his own gift, which is huge and wrapped in blue paper. When Wataru rips the papers off, he’s not particularly surprised – though the plushie inside isn’t just any fish, it’s…

“A clown fish?”

“Yes”, Kanata beams. “I thought you would ‘like’ it.”

“I love it”, Wataru laughs. “That was very clever.”

“Hmm~m”, Kanata stands up from the bed and seats himself on Wataru’s lap. “I shall take my ‘kiss’ now.”

“It’s _my_ birthday”, Wataru protests.

“Yes”, Kanata agrees, before claiming Wataru’s mouth for himself.

Rei bursts into laughter, and Natsume very obviously attempts to stifle a giggle. Wataru pays no mind – kissing Kanata is always good, and Kanata gives his best, too, almost hungry in the way he presses closer.

“Plushies make ‘good’ gifts”, Kanata keeps talking as soon as he pulls away, like he wasn’t affected at all. “They are ‘friends’ and ‘companions’, and will ‘remind’ you of me.”

“It’s perfect”, Wataru holds Kanata closer, just for a while.

Shu and Rei have gotten distracted, and are staring at each other. Wataru can guess what they are thinking of, so he asks the question for them.

“Which one?”

“You can go”, Rei says immediately. “Well… my gift is a little bit embarrassing, so I’d hope you to go first.”

“Yes”, Shu holds out his own gift. The wrapping is neat, and Wataru feels almost bad tearing it open. Kanata still clings to his neck, and Shu doesn’t seem to be in a hurry to tell him to move.

“Ohh”, Wataru sighs. It’s a dress shirt in a lavender shade, with ruffles adorning the front. It’s a little bit Shu and a little bit Wataru, and it’s absolutely lovely. “Was this what you were working on back then?”

“I made the prototype a week ago, yes”, Shu nods. “Kanata”, his voice turns soft, and Kanata moves without complaint. Shu sits down a little awkwardly, apparently unsure of how to sit on someone else’s lap, and Wataru throws an arm around his waist to help him relax.

“I’ll try it on later. Thank you, Shu”, Wataru makes the move so Shu doesn’t have to. He’s missed kissing Shu – there’s never knowing how it will turn out, and every now and then, Shu surprises both of them by doing something unexpected.

This time, though, it’s familiar, Shu slowly melting against him, and Wataru sighs out against Shu’s lips.

Kanata seems to have pulled Natsume to sit between his legs again – he likes holding Natsume, though which one of them wouldn’t? Rei looks almost nervous, and Wataru decides to give him some mercy.

Shu scrambles up as soon as they’re done kissing, his face a delicious shade of pink. He retreats to sit on Rei’s other side on the bed, and Rei slowly stands up.

“Mine is – well, it’s a… it’s a song”, Rei lets out a deep breath. “As I said, it’s embarrassing.”

“Embarrassing but cute”, Wataru smiles reassuringly. “You made it yourself?”

Rei nods.

“I need to use the piano?”

“Oh, I knew it would be of use”, Wataru gestures towards the piano sitting beside his desk. “Please do.”

Rei walks slowly – he truly is nervous, and that alone makes Wataru’s heart beat faster. Shu shuffles closer, taking Wataru’s hand in his, and Kanata begins stroking at Natsume’s hair.

And then they listen.

The melody Rei plays on the piano is soft, and when he begins to sing, his voice is even softer. It’s a love song, that much is certain – except he decided to sing it in English, which means Wataru can only understand half of it.

Rei finishes, the last notes fading out, and then Wataru springs up to get to him. Rei barely has time to pull his chair back a bit before Wataru throws himself on Rei’s lap, pulling him for a hug.

“Beautiful”, Wataru mutters.

“Careful”, Rei breathes out, “this chair doesn’t have a back.”

“Mm”, Wataru wraps his arms around Rei to hold them steady. He’s overwhelmed, suddenly, from the love and attention and care he’s received today – no party could compare to these four, here with him, and when he kisses Rei, he makes it as long as possible, until they’re both almost dizzy and have to draw out to breathe.

Rei pulls him back before they’ve regained their composure, and Wataru closes his eyes, opens his mouth, until -

“Don’t you _dare_ bite him”, Shu’s voice breaks through Wataru’s trance, and he opens his eyes only to realise Rei is already pressing one of his fangs against his lower lip.

“Actually, I allow him to do that -” Wataru begins, but Shu shakes his head.

“I know, I’ve _seen_ it. What I mean is, we’re not cleaning up blood on your birthday.”

“That might be… for the best”, Wataru admits, and Rei lets out a defeated sigh. “Next time”, Wataru promises before standing up, and Rei nods.

They gather around the bed again, and Rei brings the tray of cupcakes, as well. Shu and Natsume share one, and Kanata licks off the frosting from one before handing it to Rei, who looks surprisingly happy to receive a cupcake someone else licked clean.

Kanata hoards the blue cupcakes, but after some hesitation does hand one to Wataru, who grants him a kiss in return. Natsume is the first to start nodding off, his head falling on Shu’s shoulder, and Shu lays him down on the bed with his head on Shu’s lap.

“Mm… ‘today’ has been long”, Kanata yawns.

Watching the others grow tired makes Wataru more aware of his own exhaustion, and he can’t stop himself from yawning as well. Even Shu looks visibly more tired than usual – it must be all the people he’s had to spend time with today, Wataru supposes.

“Rei?” Wataru asks, and Rei shakes his head.

“Not tired”, he sighs. “But I’ll join you all. Maybe I’ll fall asleep faster.”

“Careful with Natsume-kun”, Wataru whispers.

“You don’t have to tell me that”, is Shu’s reply, and Rei helps him move Natsume under the blankets instead.

“I’ll take the middle?” Wataru asks, as if it were a question that could be answered with no.

“I’ll brush my teeth first”, Shu slides off the bed. “I’d recommend you all do the same.”

“Oh”, Wataru follows suit. “I was all ready to just slip out of consciousness.”

“That’s why I said it. Come on”, Shu pulls Kanata off the bed as well. “Rei, you too.”

 

Natsume is fast asleep when they come back. He’s been busy again lately, with little time to relax during the past week. Wataru slips into the bed beside him, leaving some space in between. Shu does the same, except on Wataru’s other side. He prefers to sleep close to the edge, with only one person beside him.

Rei and Kanata, the clingiest of them, happily settle closest to Wataru on both sides and instantly latch onto him. Wataru’s bed is big, big enough to have all of them, which has become a crucial detail in holding sleepovers.

The clown fish plushie shares the bed with them, though has to be thrown closer to Wataru’s legs since his chest is occupied by two people. Kanata proceeds to fall asleep immediately, while Rei is clearly still awake. Wataru closes his eyes and inhales.

“Thank you all”, he whispers, unsure how many of them can hear him anymore. Shu shifts, and Wataru can momentarily feel his hand brush against Wataru’s cheek. “I mean it. I never though… ah, well, you know how this sentence ends. I love you all, dearly.”

“The same to you”, Rei mumbles. He’s not sleepy, but he’s turning docile and limp, ready to spend a few restless hours listening to Wataru’s steady breathing before he manages to fall asleep himself.

“Sleep well”, Shu mutters, and Wataru sighs out.

“I should, with all of you here.”

Kanata shifts in his sleep, drawing a little closer. Natsume shifts when Kanata does, rolling around and ending up closer to him.

They’re all his, and he’s all theirs, and there’s no other way it could be, tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading this! I've had a lot of fun writing the whole thing, even though I had to do much faster work than usual. Hope this was to your liking!!


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